by Jon Brown, MERIDIAN, ID — Fans rarely have seen Steve Jones race on his hometown track, but the Meridian, Idaho racecar driver has gotten awfully familiar with the ASA-sanctioned Meridian Speedway pavement this year.
And this weekend he hopes familiarity breeds conquest as the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series returns home for a doubleheader of Late Model racing action.
Jones returns to the quarter-mile paved oval as the latest winner on the Boise-based racing series. The 2010 RMCS season champion pulled to within 77 points of series leader Bruce Quale of Twin Falls, Idaho, after winning the July 7 RMCS stop at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah.
Meridian Speedway will host a pair of 75-lap RMCS main events on Friday and Saturday.
The Saturday race is the Project Filter 75.
Project Filter and Century Boatland of Twin Falls are other major RMCS sponsors.
Friday’s schedule also includes the annual Preacher Feature to find the Fastor Pastor. Pastors from Treasure Valley churches will strap into Hornets furnished by drivers from that series and compete for bragging rights.
Also on the docket Friday are the Pepsi Sprintcars, Street Stocks, Pit Stop Drive Thru Mini Stocks and the Thunder Dogs.
The Street Stocks and Mini Stocks return to support the RMCS on Saturday night, and the Tates Hornets drivers will chase more championship points, too.
Jones is only one of a strong contingent of Treasure Valley drivers who have put their stamp on the RMCS this season.
Middleton, Idaho’s Tyler Bailey leads the rookie of the year standings and is fresh off a heat race win in Utah.
Veteran John Nesmith of Meridian had one of the fastest cars on the Rocky Mountain Raceways oval, and he’ll come back to his hometown in search of an opportunity to move up from third place in the season standings. Nesmith is one of five racers to win on the RMCS circuit this year, joining Jones, Jonathon Gomez of Twin Falls, Lynn Hardy from West Valley City, Utah and two-time winner Jeremy Doss, a teenager from Upper Lake, Calif.
Jones capitalized on the sixth pole of his RMCS career on July 7 to pick up his fifth career victory on the circuit. He is tied for fifth on the RMCS all-time list in both categories.
A sweep this weekend would put Jones in a tie atop the all-time wins list with Boise, Idaho’s Dave Minegar and Zan Sharp of Wellsville, Utah.
All five of Jones’ RMCS victories have come at Rocky Mountain Raceways. He tuned up for this weekend’s doubleheader by running an ASA Modifieds racecar at Meridian on Saturday.
The Meridian Speedway gates open at 4 p.m. each night with qualifying at 5 p.m. and racing at 6:30 p.m.
Friday tickets are $12 for adults, $9.50 for senior citizens and military personnel with ID and $8 for children ages 7-11. A family pass good for two adults and up to four children ages 7-11 costs $36.
Saturday night admission is $15 for adults, $12.50 for seniors and military and $11 for children 7-11. A family pass costs $46.
Both nights, as always, children 6 and younger get in free.
Tickets are available online at www.meridianspeedway.com. More information about the track and its schedule is available at the website or by calling (208) 888-2813 .